While She Sleeps
by CJ - Lady of Gryffindor
Summary: In a single moment, everything changed. One bad decision cast George Weasley into a nightmare, now he lives a life of guilt, self-sacrifice and penance. How far will he go to pay his debt to Luna Lovegood and what will it take to set him free?
1. While She Sleeps

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling

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Please read my notes at the bottom, this is obviously not DH complaint...needed Fred for this one.

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While She Sleeps

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"Happy Birthday Luna" George Weasley smiled and twisted the little silver key, cueing the sweet tinkling music to rise from the little plastic birthday cake. It's seventeen candles came to life atop the yellow plastic frosting with its delicate sunflowers. He sighed softly as the music stopped, then set the cake on the table next to him.

"I'll buy you a real cake, with loads of bright yellow sunflowers, like the sort you wore in your hair to Bill and Fleur's wedding last summer." He picked up her hand and held it tightly. "But you need to wake up first."

She lay silent, her eyelids stubbornly closed. They had been closed for two weeks now, since that day…the horrible day that George couldn't bear to remember…the day he couldn't stop himself from remembering.

He'd been so angry with her; he could still feel the magazine rolled tightly in his hand, as if clenching it was the only way he would be able to stop himself from clenching them around her arms and shaking her. Xenophilius Lovegood had said a lot of silly things in The Quibbler…but to say that Dragon piss was the main ingredient in their Puking Pastilles…that was over the line.

He realized now what he should have then, what Fred had tried to tell him just before he apparated from the shop. If he had only waited until they could close, they could have gone together…they could have shown her how they made them…she would have printed a retraction. Instead, he had gone off hack-cocked, gone off to yell at her, to demand that she write one and take it to the Daily Prophet for the late edition.

How senseless that he had gone to yell at her…she hadn't even written the article. Her father was gone now, lost among the victims of a final hour killing spree in Azkaban….Lord Voldemort had given orders that not a single traitor to his cause be left behind. Luna had been determined to move on. She'd printed her fathers final issue as a memorial to him, then had the rubble of her childhood home cleared away. By mid-June, they were putting the final touches on her new house. It would be ready for her to move in on her seventeenth birthday.

Today.

But she wasn't…and that was his fault.

She'd been lost in thought when he found her, high up in a tree and staring at the sky dreamily. The men had left for the day, it was near sunset and she had looked so serene. How he wished now that he had left her to her solitude.

But no, he'd yelled at her, said she had some _'fucking explaining to do' _Luna was startled, slid off her branch, and then fell to the ground.

George couldn't stop hearing her scream…but even worse than the scream was the abrupt and horrible silence. He'd run to her…hoping…praying that she had just been dazed. Instead, she lay on her side, bloody hair covering her face…her head resting on a blood splattered rock, a growing pool around her shoulders and back.

The rest happened in slow motion; like he was an observer to the horror…a nightmare from which he couldn't awake. Sending a patronus to St. Mungo's…the trauma workers arriving, securing her on a board and then taking her away…waiting hours and hours while she was examined and scanned and a million other things that they had explained, but didn't made a damned bit of sense.

The only thing that broke through the fog was that she was in a coma, and that they didn't know when she would come out of it…or _if_… she would come out of it.

And if she did…if she would ever be the same girl again.

Luna had been only six weeks from being seventeen when her father was killed, so the ministry had given her early adulthood. After the accident, his father had talked Kingsley into giving his parents guardianship…someone would need to make medical decisions for her. Better them than some stranger who had never even known her. If not for that…George wouldn't have even been allowed in to see her…the critical care unit was family only.

And he had to be here.

He needed to be by her side; to look upon her sleeping face and bandaged head; her long dirty blond hair all shaved away so they could treat her wound. At her side was his place now, taking a daily inventory of the tubes and wires and pumps and beeping machines that ran in and around her body. This was the price he had to pay for being responsible for Luna Lovegood barely hanging onto the fringes of life. He belonged here in this sterile white room; listening endlessly to the beat of her heart on the monitor, watching the bags fill that released her bodily functions and the machine that helped her breathe. It was only fitting that he sat here for hours on end while they changed her bandages and cleaned the skin around the tube that nourished her.

He was the reason she was here instead of eating a birthday cake with bright yellow sunflowers, it was only right that he be here with her.

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"Luna" George smiled and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Look what I've brought for you. Ginny told me you love these things."

He tied the yellow and blue balloons to the table next to her bed so they drifted over her plastic birthday cake, and then he sank down into the now familiar chair, his eyes on Luna's face. The bandages were gone now and her hair had grown out about an inch…it looked a bit like pixie hair, short and curling just above the ears.

"Hello George." A young healers assistant stepped into the room, then picked up Luna's chart. She smiled softly at him, a great deal of awe in her eyes. Most of Luna Lovegood's visitors had stopped coming after the first few weeks…but George Weasley still came every night at six and stayed until visiting hours ended at ten.

"Hey Carlotta." He smiled up at the woman. "How's our girl been today?"

"Did your mother talk to you?"

"Yes." He nodded nervously "I'm not sure I like the idea much."

"It will be okay George." She tucked the chart back into the holder at the end of Luna's bed. "She's showing signs that she is ready."

"I know."

"Won't it be nice to see some of the tubes gone?"

George couldn't help thinking that it would be nicer to see _all _of the tubes gone, preferably with her eyes open…but for now, he would take what he could get. "I guess I'm just worried that we'll find out that she isn't ready after all."

Carlotta moved to the side of Luna's bed to check her IV, patting George on the shoulder as she moved behind him.

"These are nice." She tugged on a blue balloon. "I think she would like these."

"I brought them from Harry's birthday party, since she can't be there tonight…I thought I would bring part of it to her."

"Try not to worry, I'm sure everything will go just fine." Carlotta moved past him again, then gave him another warm smile before closing the door. George leaned over and whispered into her ear.

"Hey you…" He picked up her hand and held it to his cheek. "Don't you think it's time to wake up?"

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"Hey Beautiful. I brought you a surprise."

George turned the chair around and sat next to Luna, taking her hand in his.

"Katie and I spent the weekend in Majorca and I found this."

He reached into the little bag and pulled out a conch shell.

"Look…" He brushed a finger over the edge "See all those colors inside? When I found this, I saw them and it made me think of you. Harry and Ginny told me that you've always liked a lot of color around you."

George forced the Majorca trip out of his mind, it hadn't ended well. Katie Bell and he had been engaged since the spring, just a few weeks before Luna's accident. In the early day's Katie had sat here with him sometimes…now, she became angry when he came every night. She didn't understand his need to be here and had demanded that they go away for the weekend…and George had tried…he had really, really tried. He made it through the weekend, but just barely. Every night at six o'clock, the feeling of guilt came over him, strangling him until he could barely breathe…and Katie had noticed.

They'd ended up spending most of the weekend fighting and she'd been furious when he came here straight off when they returned.

He forced Katie out of his mind and lay the shell on the table next to the cake and deflated balloons. He considered the balloon's for a moment, thinking for the millionth time that he should toss them in the bin. He turned away instead, he knew he would never toss them…if she…_when_ she woke, he wanted her to know that he had brought them for her.

"Ginny is in quite a dither, school starts next week…she's not looking forward to being away from Harry." George laughed, one of the few real laughs he had had in weeks. "He came to me and Fred last week and asked us how to _break into _Hogwarts…can you believe that?" He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, then picked up her hand and kissed the soft, pale fingers.

"She would really like it if you could go with her."

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George felt the tears threaten as he looked at Luna's pale face. Her hair was past her ears now, much lighter blonde and thicker than it had been before. One of the healers assistants had told him that was quite normal when patients had had to have their hair shaved off.

Most of the tubes were gone now, she was breathing on her own, only the wires that monitored her heart, her IV, the feeding tube and the tube that removed her waste remained…being here was much less scary…yet no less painful. This day his feelings were confused…he know didn't which emotion was running more strongly through him…the ever present sadness and guilt or his anger.

It was his fault that Luna was like this, his fault that she wasn't at Hogwarts learning Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was him who had startled her…his angry words…his temper…his…

"_Luna Lovegood…you have some fucking explaining to do!" _

…his fault that she had fallen from the tree to the rock below.

In the beginning she had understood his need to be here, but even though he was making an effort, Katie was demanding that he stop coming to see her. He had cut back, stopped staying until visiting hours were over, stopped coming on Saturday nights. Yet it wasn't enough for her.

She said he was cheating on her, had referred to Luna as _'the other woman'. _George had laughed at that…it was nothing short of ridiculous. Luna and he had been barely friends before the accident. What he couldn't tell Katie was that he _did_ feel something more for her now; a strange sort of bond that he couldn't begin to explain, even to himself. It was the sort of thing he knew he wouldn't likely wouldn't be able to understand unless…_until_…she woke.

When he laughed, Katie had taken on that look, the look he hated that meant he had hurt her. Then, she told him that he had to decide between her and Luna…because he couldn't have them both. She wasn't willing to share him with a woman who was as good as dead.

That had been the breaker, the rage had risen up within him and he told her to get the hell out. Luna wasn't dead, and she _wasn't_ going to die. One day, she was going to open her eyes…and on that day she would forgive him and he would be free from the guilt that ruled him.

Before she left, Katie had given him seventy-two hours to decide and a part of him was torn. He loved Katie, but he was bound to Luna…bound by responsibility, bound by guilt, and as he looked into her pale sleeping face he realized, he was bound by friendship too.

Luna Lovegood was his friend...and she needed him.

"Hey." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I brought you something…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, tall plastic sheath. "…it's a quill. You Ravenclaws like quills I hear. Mr. Mobley told me this is from the wing of an eagle, their very strongest feathers, and it's honed to the sharpest point you could imagine…best Flourish and Blotts has to offer. You'll be all ready when you wake up to go back to school.

"We have a date, you and I." He forced back the twinge of pain when the thought about what Katie would have thought if she had heard him say that. George forced a smile and reached up to tease a curl that lay next to her ear. "I'm all ready, waiting to take you shopping for your school books…you'll need to get your bum out of that bed first though."

The sadness, anger and guilt clenched in his chest again. How could Katie not understand…he needed to be here…_she_ needed him here. He couldn't leave her alone. He couldn't be like the others; the people who had claimed to be her friends. The ones like Dean Thomas, Susan Bones and even Neville Longbottom…all the people who had come in the beginning but hadn't been here in weeks…the ones who didn't even so much as send cards anymore.

The ones who had given up on her.

"I'm not going anywhere Luna." His voice was barely a whisper of breath over his lips. "I'm staying right here."

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George stared out the window watching the rain fall, trying to drown out the bustle around him. They were moving her today; it was a good thing, but it was scary too.

Luna was no longer in critical condition, she was stable enough to be moved off the critical care unit…but it meant being moved to long term residential care…and George didn't like the sound of that. To him, it sounded as if they were giving up hope … like they were expecting that she would spend the rest of her life a sleeping shell of the girl she was meant to be.

The girl he had never really known.

In the days since Katie had left, he had become obsessed with Luna…at least, that was what Ginny and Fred told him the others said behind his back. Ron and Hermione had been Luna's friend's, yet they never came anymore. His other brothers had been there in the first week…but they hadn't known Luna, they had only been there to lie and try to convince him that what had happened wasn't his fault.

That was what was so comforting about Fred, Ginny and Harry. They never blamed him…yet they didn't try to force that upon him. They and his parents didn't come everyday either…but everyday at least _one of them _came. They were the ones who had never forgotten that Luna Lovegood was a person; who didn't see her as an empty shell. They were the ones who held onto their hope…who helped George hold onto his hope…that Luna was going to wake.

Harry was Luna's most frequent visitor besides himself. He'd told George that he owed Luna a debt, she had helped him in the days after Sirius had been killed…so, now, he wanted to be here for her. He sat with George for hours, telling him stories about Luna…and through him, George was coming to know the girl he had never known.

Luna loved to laugh, she liked scary stories, and she had a single dimple just off the corner of the right side her mouth when she smiled. She had a kind compassionate heart, a deep soul and wisdom beyond her years. She always tied her shoes in double bows because she had tripped on them as a child and knocked out her front teeth and she loved to blow the fluff off of dandelions. Spring was her favorite season...though summer came a close second, she loved fireflies, surprises, sunflowers and the color yellow.

Then, there were the things George found they had in common. Strawberry- Rhubarb pie, fireworks, and fudge mint ice-cream. Dumbledore was her favorite Chocolate Frog wizard card, and her favorite Bertie Bott's flavor was cheese.

And… Luna loved sunrises…but not nearly as much as sunsets.

Sunset…just the thought of sunset brought tears to his eyes. He hadn't been able to stand to watch one since the day Luna fell from the tree.

George turned from the window and took the familiar seat by her bed, his throat tight. Soon, they would be moving her…but for now…he would relax in the familiar.

"Hey, I brought you something." He smiled and brushed the hair out of her eyes. Her bangs were starting to get a bit long now and the week before he had had to stop a healers assistant from cutting them shorter just to get them out of the way. He'd been a bit angry to be honest, in fact...he had thrown her out.

From his pocket he pulled a ceramic jack-o-lantern. "I would have brought the real thing, but they said they aren't allowed. This is almost as good….watch."

He clicked a little switch on the bottom and the face came alive with bright yellow light.

"I'll just keep this safe till you get settled in your new room." He settled the jack-o-lantern in the box with his other gifts. He'd brought an old shoe box, thinking it would be plenty big…but it all barely fit. He tried not to think about it, how quickly the little gifts were adding up. He set the box on the table and turned back to Luna, forcing a smile to his face as he tugged on a honey colored curl.

"I wouldn't have to do this if you would just wake up you know." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "If you were awake, we could carve a pumpkin from Hagrid's pumpkin patch."

He sighed and brushed a finger over her cheek.

"Well, maybe next year."

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George trembled as he slid into the chair at Luna's bedside.

He leaned over her and picked up her hand, then held it to his heart as he slumped over, his face buried in her blankets. The morning had worn heavily on him and he had come to realize that he felt a considerable amount of peace when he was here with her. Much more peace that he found when he was any place else.

It was Percy's fault he was upset, his idiot former _bighead-boy-traitor-to-the-family-fucking-git _of a brother and his asinine suggestions.

How dare he…how _fucking dare _he even _suggest _that they remove Luna's feeding tube so _she could die_?

_'Oh right', _George thought bitterly _'he didn't call it that...letting her go...that's what it was'. _

And of course..._fucking_ Hermione Granger, Miss _I-am-prefect_...just had to agree, and since Ron always agreed with Hermione...

After knocking Percy on his ass, George had sworn that if anyone ever suggested such a thing again, they would be dead to him. Then, just before leaving, he made it clear to his parents that if they entertained such an idea, he would fight them in front of the Wizengamot.

That, George knew, was a battle they would never win. The Wizengamot was very much against euthanasia, even though the law left it in the hands of the family…or in this case, the guardians.

"George?" He lifted his face from the blankets and turned his head. His mother stood in the doorway, her face worried and compassionate…yet it didn't set his mind at ease. She hadn't said a thing to Percy about his suggestion…but then, George hadn't really given her a chance. He sat back in the chair, his face hard and determined.

"If you've come to tell me your considering what Percy suggested…"

"Oh no." Molly rushed into the room and put her arms around his shoulders. "No, Georgie, of course not…your father and I would never agree to such a thing. You know what the healers all say."

George nodded, he had heard all of this countless times…they had been saying for months that Luna was showing brain activity. But if that was true…why was she still asleep? Why wasn't she opening her eyes?

"If that's true…then why isn't she waking up?" George looked at her pleadingly, his hands clenching Luna's tightly between his. "It's been five months."

"Nobody knows dear." Molly brushed her fingers soothingly through his hair. "Maybe she just needs more time to heal. Maybe, after the war, after losing her father and all she went through, her poor body just got tired out and she needs a nice long rest."

"It's all my fault mum." George let Luna's hand go, and buried his head in his hands…a position that had become all to familiar over the past five months. "I'm so sorry…" he gasped "I am just so...damned …sorry!"

"I know you are dear." She bent and kissed the top of his head. "I know…and, I think Luna knows too."

"You think it's like the healer says? That she can hear me talking to her?"

"Oh, I know so." Molly smiled and turned towards Luna. "I've seen it, when Luna hears your voice; I don't know…she just seems…happier somehow."

George smiled…they were a mothers words, meant to comfort, not to give truth. Luna's expression hadn't changed, not for a single instant, in five months. Yet hearing the words brought him comfort…the first comfort he had felt since Percy's terrible words that morning.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a little paper wrapped cone. "I've brought you this, you ran off so fast you left it behind."

"Thanks mum." He smiled up at her, amazed at how much better…how much lighter, he felt. "You didn't have to come all the way over here."

"Well, I've been wanting to come by anyway…and besides…," She turned and brushed her fingers over the little table besides Luna's bed. She sighed sadly and sent up a prayer that George wouldn't be buying many more things for the little collection. "..I know how much Luna love's your little gifts."

She bent over and kissed Luna's forehead, then turned and walked to the door. "I know your very angry with your brother George. But he's just worried about you. They're all worried about you."

In his heart he knew she was telling the truth. His family was worried about him. But being here…being by her side…felt right. Like it was where he was supposed to be. It only made Percy's suggestion all the more terrible.

"He had a sick way of showing it."

"I know." Molly let loose a deep sigh, then she smiled at George. "All the more reason for our girl to wake up and prove them all wrong. So, you just keep on trying to talk her into waking up, someone needs to put that brother of yours in his place."

George smiled and watched his mother walk out the door, then he turned back to Luna.

"You hear that Luna?" He nodded towards the door. "Mum's starting to get irritated with Percy…you've got to be awake for that, it will be worth the price of admission."

He smiled widely, reached into a bag and pulled out a ceramic vase covered in bright fall leaves.

"Ready for your present?" He bent down, fussed with the paper wrapped cone for a moment, then he lifted it in his hands. He had filled the vase with a handful of short tree branches, covered in bright orange and red fall leaves.

"Taa-daa!" He stood and skirted the bed, set the vase down on the table between the little birthday cake and the jack-o-lantern. He resettled the quill in front of it, then moved the balloons to it's side and then sat down on the side of her bed and picked up her hand.

Luna's hair was almost to her shoulders now, laying in soft ringlets against her neck. It was much thicker now than it had been before, and a lovely honey blonde. With his free hand, George reached up to tease a curl.

"I knew you'd like the leaves." he smiled and kissed her palm. "I owled Ginny to ask her what your favorite fall flowers were and she told me that you preferred the leaves in the fall. That's so like you Luna, to be out of the ordinary…marching to the beat of your own drummer. It's what makes you such a lovely person….the kind of person I want to get to know better."

George leaned down and kissed her cheek…

…and for the first time ever, Luna's hand clenched around his

George looked at her with wide eyes.

"Luna?"

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Ginny giggled while she watched George wrestle the tiny Christmas tree into it's stand. For such a little tree, he was having an awfully difficult time. No matter how tight he screwed the screws, it kept flopping over.

"Would you like some help George?" Harry offered, moving to George's side.

"See if you can't get the screw to tighten on the other side."

Harry leaned over and twisted the screw, and then he and George backed off cautiously. At last, the tree held in place.

"Good job you two." Ginny smiled and went back to hanging snowflakes in the ceiling above Luna's bed. Harry put his arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"Your turn now." Harry handed her the small box of decorations that Molly had given them from her own much larger collection so they could share a bit of their Christmas with Luna.

Ginny took the box and began hanging ornaments, it didn't take long…the tree was only three feet high…the largest the hospital would allow.

The tree decorated, she smiled happily, then reached for a small jar at the bottom of the box. "Luna always told me this is her favorite part."

She twisted the lid off the jar, then held it to the tree. The scent of the pine woke the hibernating fairies and their wings sparkled to life in an array of bright happy colors. They flew from the jar, then swarmed to cover the branches of the tree.

"It's beautiful Ginny, I know Luna would love it." George reached over for Luna's hand, holding it tightly in his. Harry picked up a camera from the table, then snapped a picture of the Christmas tree. He waved his wand over the camera and the picture slid out of the side, then he handed the picture to George. He slid it into a brightly colored picture frame, then put it next to the vase of dried fall leaves.

"I know you'll be awake in time to see this for yourself Luna." He leaned over, taking her hand again. Her hand convulsed around his, causing his heart to leap a little in his chest. The healer had told him they really didn't know why she did it,…it could be anything from a response to the sound of his voice to muscle spasms.

Ginny and Harry exchanged smiles when George lifted her hand to his lips, gently brushing his lips over her fingers, then they turned to leave them alone. Whether Luna was awake or not…the moment seemed to call for privacy.

"It's been snowing like mad you know, the pond isn't completely frozen over yet...but dad thinks it will be soon. Probably in another week if the cold keeps up…just in time for Christmas.

"Ginny told me you love skating, so when I was shopping last week for something for mum, I found something that made me think of you."

He picked up a box from the table and pulled off the lid, from within it, he pulled out a figurine. In the middle of an ice covered pond, was a small Christmas tree, and on the pond was a penguin wearing ice skates. He flicked a finger over the bottom, and the penguin came to life, twirling and dipping…skating over the pond to the tune of _'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies' _

George set the figurine on the table next to the conch shell, then held her hand to his cheek again, watching the penguin skate around the ice. His free hand moved to her face, brushing over the soft curls that rested on her shoulder.

"Merry Christmas Luna."

He turned his head and kissed the pale fingers.

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George stared stonily out the window, unable to bring himself to look at the girl who slept behind him. Instead, he watched the snow fall outside. It was supposed to be a happy night. A night that normally a young man would be thrilled to find himself alone with a pretty girl…but the more he thought about the New Year…the worse he felt.

It had been easier, being able to think of time in terms of weeks…even months. But the shifting to a brand new year made him realize the cold and terrifying truth…Luna had been in a coma for half a year now…

And always that same horrible truth rose up again…

…it was his fault.

He'd been sitting in his all too familiar chair, yammering on about New Years resolutions…when his eyes went to the table …the table that bore his gifts. There was one from every month…

A yellow birthday cake, a bunch of yellow and blue balloons, a conch shell, a quill, a jack-o-lantern, a bunch of fall leaves, a skating penguin..

…and each marked something that she had missed.

She'd spent her birthday here, and Harry's. She'd missed her last ride on the Hogwarts Express, the Halloween feast and the fall leaves that she loved so much…and Christmas…she had even missed Christmas…

Now, she was about to miss New Years too.

Next month, she would miss Valentines Day, and then Easter. Spring would come and she would miss the budding trees and the first flowers.

Then…summer would come again and she would turn eighteen…and she would miss that too.

With each and every one of these occasions…her table would fill. When the table was full…what then? Would he bring another table…more room to fill with each passing month? How many tables could one room hold?

George pressed his forehead against the cold glass, hot tears pouring over his cheeks while the terrible memory came to him again.

'_You have some fucking explaining to do.'_

Her scream…the silence…the blood...so much blood.

There had been so _damned_ much blood.

"George." He felt a hand on his shoulder and he realized then how violently his body was trembling.

"I should have listened to you." He whispered and looked up at Fred's reflection in the glass. "You told me not to go."

He turned to face his brother, his face the most miserable Fred had seen it since the days just after the accident. "She wasn't even the one who wrote the article…but I didn't care…I just ran off…I just…

"God Fred…" He shook his head as tears flowed freely down his cheeks; he didn't even try to hold them back. "Why didn't I listen to you?"

"When have you ever listened to me?" Fred smiled sadly and leaned in to hug his brother. "George, you startled her…that much is true…but, it's not your fault that the rock was there. It's not your fault that Luna landed in the one spot that was rock and not grass."

"I know…" George pulled away, wiping at his face. "I know all of that. But it doesn't change anything!"

"Of course it does. Georgie, if it's true…if you really know all of that, then you need to let go of some of this guilt. It's eating at you, it's killing you…and that's wrong." Fred looked at George his eyes burning with his need to make his brother understand. To see what he, someone who barely even knew Luna Lovegood, knew about her.

"I don't know Luna well, but, I know her well enough to know that she would hate how this is tearing you up. Ginny and Harry tell me that Luna is sweet and forgiving and she would want you to let the guilt go."

George knew that Fred was right…but the transition from his mind to his heart…at the moment it seemed impossible.

Fred punched George on the shoulder lightly. This was a wound that only Luna Lovegood could heal, he'd known it all along. He sighed as he looked at the sleeping girl he had never really known. "It's too bad I never knew her… I'll have to fix that when she wakes."

George felt he had known Luna his entire life, he knew her stories, all the things she liked, the things she didn't like. He knew so much about her now that it was almost like watching his best friend in that bed. Yet, he felt he had barely scratched the surface of who Luna Lovegood really was.

He looked over at Fred and smiled sadly. "We both will."

Fred kissed Luna's forehead, then with a final hug, he turned and left. George realized that he did feel better…if only a little. Fred might not have been able to ease his guilt…but he _had_ restored his hope, and that that was why Fred had come by the hospital. His brother knew him far too well, Fred had known that George had been down all day, that he was suffering again…that the guilt was eating him alive.

George stepped the the side of the bed again, the sat down at Luna's side. A healers assistant had pinned a soft blue bow in Luna's curls …they had been teasing him all day about their _'hot date' _tonight. George smiled and pulled the corsage out of the little pink box, slid it onto Luna's wrist, and then held her hand to his cheek.

"You look beautiful." And he realized as he said it, just how true it was. Even though she was frighteningly thin, she was still beautiful…if only to him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the plastic champagne glasses he had brought and the little bottle of champagne, then set them on her table next to the figurine of the skating penguin. He sat quietly, watching her sleep while the last two hours of the old year ticked away, then he held her hand to his lips while he watched his watch tick away the final seconds.

He counted them down silently, then…ignoring the noise from the healers station down the hall, he leaned over her and brushed his lips over hers as the midnight hour tolled in the new year.

"Happy New Year Beautiful."

He sighed, then kissed her forehead. "When you wake up, we have a bottle of champagne to share."

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* * *

George paced Luna's room, trying not to stare at the empty bed. Around him, the room was filled with pink and white roses, and bouquets of pink, red and white balloons.

He reckoned he had gone a little overboard…but it was Valentines Day.

"George!" Harry exclaimed as he rushed in, Fred on his heels. "We got your message and rushed right over…What's happened?"

"She moved her eyes." George looked at him. "The healer said it was…quick…no, rapid eye movement. Like people do when they dream."

"That's good!" Fred smiled widely.

"It's very good." Harry agreed.

"George!" Molly rushed in and hugged him, her face flushed with excitement. "Oh George!"

"Wonderful news George." His father said as he caught up at last.

George sighed and threw himself into a chair. The atmosphere in the room was so happy it was like someone had cast a cheering charm over the lot of them, yet George was afraid of getting his hopes up. She had squeezed her fingers around his hand once too…and that had turned out to be nothing. "She's not awake though."

"But this is a very good sign." Molly patted him on the shoulder. "The healers assistant said so."

"Yeah, that's what they said…" he nodded. "But then they rushed her out of here for more scans. What if this is like her hand mum? She's been doing that for months…"

They all fell silent, the room horribly crushing.

Molly pulled a chair to sit in front of him, then she smiled and took his hands. "This isn't like that George, even the healer said this is a major sign that she has had improvement. It means that she is dreaming…it means that her brain is working."

"But…"

"Now," Molly gave his hands a gentle tug. "I'll have no more of that negativity young man. I know you have reason to worry, it's been a long time and you've been through ever so much…but I'll not have you being down…not when the news is so wonderful."

George nodded and tried to work up a smile, but despite his mothers encouraging words…it died before it reached his lips.

"Oi…" Fred looked around, a devilish grin on his face. "Georgie, have you forgotten what today is?"

"It's Tuesday." He shrugged.

"No, It's Valentine's Day." Fred corrected with a smirk.

"Your point is?"

"Don't you think you should have gotten Luna some flowers or something?"

George looked up at his brother and finally, the smile came.

"Git."

* * *

-)0(-

* * *

George slammed the door open at the top of the stairs, then slumped against the wall, struggling to catch his breath. Of all the times for it to happen…_of course _it would happen when he wasn't there.

He waited only until he was able to breathe again before he set off down the hallway. Healers assistants patted him on the back as he crossed their path, smiling at him in their excitement.

'_Hello George'_

'_It's so wonderful George!'_

'_Brilliant George…just brilliant!'_

'_Isn't it just amazing!'_

Everyone he passed wanted to share in the celebration…they had all shared in his misery…had been with him during the darkest days…now they wanted to share in his joy.

And he was happy. He couldn't remember ever having felt so happy. Not on the day they opened the shop, not on the day Katie agreed to marry him, not even on the day Harry had destroyed Voldemort.

George Weasley had never felt this kind of joy in his life.

Luna was awake…after all this time, she had awoken. And better, she was going to be fine. She was awake, she was talking, she remembered people and faces and dates and places. She would remember him…she would remember…

Finally, he could ask for her forgiveness, he could be set free from his guilt. But the more he thought about it, the closer he got to her room…the harder it became to move. His steps began to slow…and then he stopped.

Luna had lost eight months of her life because of him. There were so many things she had missed…so many things she could never, ever have back. So how,...how could he possibly expect her to forgive him; how could he dare to even ask?

He leaned against the wall, his shoulders slumped in defeat as the worst guilt he had ever felt…even after all these months…came over him. He didn't have a right to her forgiveness…none,…none at all.

George closed his eyes for a moment, then turned back towards the stairwell. Her waking _changed everything_. His mother had told him that her room was already being flooded with flowers and cards. The others, the ones who had stopped coming, would come again...she need not know that they had given up on her. Luna wouldn't be alone, she wouldn't need him here anymore, and considering what he had done, certainly she wouldn't _want _him here.

"George!" Luna's healer stepped from her room and rushed down the hall towards him. He smiled at George warmly…the two had become quite good friends in the months since Luna was transferred here from the critical care unit. "It's about time you get here…she's been waiting to see you."

She wanted to see him? But how did she know…

"Does she remember?" His voice froze in his throat.

"No, no I'm afraid not…she doesn't remember the accident at all, but that's normal after a head injury. She's awake, and alert and she has total recall of everything else. Her motor function seems just fine, though we can't be sure of course, not until she is out of bed, which won't happen for a little while yet."

"So she's going to be okay?"

"Oh yes, it seems so." He smiled "She will need a few weeks of physical therapy to regain strength in her muscles and to get her digestive system back to normal before she can be released…but, I think she's going to be just fine."

He patted George on the back, then ordered him to get in and see her. He stood nervously staring at the closed door to Luna's room, she wanted to see him…she shouldn't…but she did…as long as she wanted him there, he couldn't leave. Nervously, he reached out and pushed the door open.

He nearly gasped when he saw her, the shock of seeing her for the first time with her eyes wide open, the smile on her face showing him the single dimple for the first time. Some color had returned, her complexion had shifted from pale to ivory with a little pink at her cheeks.

"George..." She said softly, her voice hoarse from lack of use. "I'm so happy you've come."

George stood frozen in the doorway, biting his lip in a futile effort to hold back the tears.

She looked at him questioningly, confused by the emotion on his face. "George?"

"Luna…" He crossed the room and slid into the oh so familiar chair, and out of habit, he picked her hand up from the bed and held it to his cheek. She attempted to shift towards him, but her muscles were far to weak to allow it, so he rose from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed so he could look into her eyes. She showed no surprise at his familiarity…it was almost as if she had expected it.

"I'm sorry." he blurted out, despite the healers telling him she didn't remember the accident. "I'm so sorry ….All of this…your being hurt, being in a coma…I know you don't remember…but it was my fault, all of it."

"It was?" Her eyes widened and her hand jerked slightly in his. He lay it down then slid from the bed, of course she didn't want him near her.

"I don't remember George." Luna looked at him with pleading eyes. "Could you tell me; what happened?"

George closed his eyes, then he took a deep breath and opened them again. He told her about the article, about how he had come to yell at her, to demand that she print a retraction…and then, he told her the most terrible part.

"I saw you, sitting in the tree…and I yelled something terrible at you. You were startled and you fell." He took a deep breath again, the tears were too close now, there was no fighting them anymore….and a part of him knew she deserved to see them, it was the only way she could ever know how truly sorry he was.

"You hit your head on a rock when you fell…and you've been asleep since."

He picked her hand up again and held it tightly against his cheek, his eyes pleading with hers.

"You've lost eight months because of me, eight months you can't have back…birthdays and holidays and seasons and your last year at Hogwarts…all gone and if I could, I would give you all of mine for the rest of my life to make it up to you…but I can't." He lowered his head and wiped his face on the blankets. "Luna...I know it's doesn't bring them back...but I'm sorry, so very sorry."

"Your mum told me that you've been with me this whole time." Luna tightened her hand in his. "That all these things are from you, all these pretty things and the Valentine's balloons and flowers."

George looked up and nodded. "Yes."

"She said that you were here every holiday too, and that you've been here everyday and you only work part time now so you can be here with me."

"I couldn't leave you alone." He shrugged.

"So, all these months while I've been asleep…you've been here, not thinking about yourself, or what you were giving up…so I wouldn't be alone." She smiled, her eyes soft and watery. "It seems to me George, that I'm not the only one who's lost eight months of their life, birthdays and holidays and occasions…you can't get those things back either."

"I wanted to be here…I had to. I couldn't leave you all alone…not after…"

"No, if anyone is to blame it's me." She shook her head "I don't remember the accident, but I remember the article on Wizard Candy. I didn't even read the stories my father had written …if I had known he mentioned you, I would have edited that out."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I yelled at you…and you fell." He was close to sobbing now…knowing that it could have all been avoided so easily if only he had listened to his brother, if only he had approached her rationally…if he had waited until after sunset. Her being so willing to take the blame onto herself only made it worse.

"I have no right to ask, I know…" He whispered. "But can you ever forgive me?"

She looked at him earnestly. "Can you forgive me for printing that article?"

"Of course I can, I did…a long time ago."

"Then I forgive you."

And he could tell … she meant it. From the bottom of her heart, Luna meant every word.

"I know you've been here out of guilt George. I want you to be free now. To go on, to live your own life."

"What about you? You have to do therapy, and it will be a long time before you'll be able to do things for yourself…"

"I'll be fine." She smiled "I am going to get better and then start studying to take my NEWTS when I get out of here and…then we'll see from there."

"But…"

"No buts." Luna shook her head. "I know what you've given up to be here, and I know why you've done it. Please…it will make me happy, to know that you have your life back, just like I do. I'm done sleeping now…it's time for you to stop sleeping too George. It's time for you to be free."

And as she said the words, he did feel free. Free from the guilt, free from the overwhelming need to do the right thing… free from the chains that had bound him to this place. He was truly free now...free in mind, free in body and free in spirit.

After all this time, Luna had finally set him free.

"Can I still come to see you?" He smiled "Often?"

"Of course you can." She smiled and let go of his hand. "I would really like it if you did. But for now go away, I need my rest."

George smiled and pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. Then he stood and kissed her forehead before turning for the door.

"Bye Luna." He smiled "And thanks."

Luna smiled, flashing that single dimple. "Bye George."

He stepped through the door, then began down the hallway…his heart lighter than a feather. He hadn't felt this good since that June afternoon … before reading the article in the Quibbler that had changed everything. He had been free then, looking forward to his future with Katie, to the new life to be had now that the war was over.

Now he was free again, Katie had moved on…but there were others out there. He was free to begin again.

Fresh… New.

He reached out for the knob on the door to the stairwell, then turned for a look around. His last four months had been largely spent here…it felt odd now, leaving it behind. In a strange way, it was like it was a part of him.

But as he took his first step into the stair well he realized…It wasn't this place that had become a part of him.

It was _her_.

He didn't _want_ to leave her, he wanted to stay by her side, to be with her while she went through therapy and got strong again. He wanted to keep bringing her silly little gifts on special occasions, to hold her hand while he got to know her better, to kiss her fingers and touch her soft curls.

He was still bound to Luna Lovegood, but what held him here wasn't guilt…it hadn't been for a long, long time.

What held him here now was his heart.

What held him here…was love.

Whether it was the love one felt for a friend, or the love a man felt for a woman, he didn't know….but now that she was awake, he had all the time in the world to figure it out.

They could get to know each other in a normal way, they could move on to the future together.

George turned and made his way back down the hall to her room, pushed open the door and then smiled before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Sorry, I don't go away that easily."

She blinked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. "When I woke, I remembered someone being here and talking to me, the sweetest voice...so kind and reassuring when I was lost in the dark and afraid. When they told me you had always been here, I knew it was your voice that I had heard. I wanted to go on hearing your voice forever…even after I woke."

"If you wanted me here, why did you send me away?"

"I had to. I had to know if you really wanted to be here." She sniffled "I didn't want you to be here just because you felt guilty. So, I had to set you free…like in the poem…"

_)(_

'_If you love something, set it free_

_If it comes back to you; it's yours_

_If it doesn't; It never was.'_

_)(  
_

George reached down for her hand, but as he picked it up, he found that she was holding the little birthday cake. He took it from her, turned the little key and set it on the table, then, he lit the pumpkin, and turned the key on the penguin so it skated around the pond.

"We have a lot of catching up to do." He brushed the curls away from her cheek.

"So you'll stay with me?" She whispered "Even though I'm not sleeping anymore?"

"I'll stay with you..." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"_Particularly_ since you're not sleeping anymore."

* * *

-)0(- Epilogue-)0(-

* * *

George shifted uncomfortably, trying desperately to pretend that he was sitting anywhere but where he was. He hated this place, particularly at this time of day. Problem was, it was Luna's favorite place in the world and he couldn't deny Luna anything…even sitting under _the tree _at sunset.

"Are you okay George?" She asked as she reached for his hand where it sat clenched on his knee. "I know you don't like being here."

"I'm fine." He lied and pulled her closer, forcing a smile to his face that didn't reach his eyes.

"You're lying." Luna giggled and brushed her hand over his cheek "I'm sorry you're uncomfortable, but, I refuse to be afraid of this place...it's too pretty."

George sighed and buried his face in her hair. It was long enough now that it fell in thick honey blonde ringlets against her shoulder blades. Luna had been quite annoyed to find that they had shaved her head, but she had gotten quite a giggle over learning how protective George had been over it, particularly when Harry told her that he had actually kicked a healers assistant out of her room for trying to cut her hair away in front.

"We should be going soon." He murmured, filling his nose with the lovely brown sugar and vanilla scent of her shampoo. "Mum will be waiting dinner on us."

"I know." Luna snuggled against him. "In a minute, the sunset is almost over."

George gave himself up to the inevitable. It was physically impossible for him to deny Luna Lovegood anything. On the other hand, it was quite easy for her to deny him. He had tried to cut down this tree for example, but she hadn't let him... He had tried to wrestle a promise from her that she would never climb it again too, but she had conceded only that he could remove the rock from the bottom.

But climbing trees wasn't something Luna would be doing anytime soon. Even with her therapy completed, signs of the accident remained. Luna still needed a cane, she walked with a limp and had diminished use of her left arm. She sometimes had dizzy spells and occasionally, she would have short term memory loss. Her healer said that only time would tell if these things would be permanent, but compared with what could have happened…Luna was incredibly fortunate.

The guilt had never left George completely, he knew it never would. There had been moments where it had been nearly as raw as in the early days while he watched Luna struggle to relearn how to walk and eat. But that was no where near as bad as how his anger flared every time he had to put up with someone coming to see her that he knew had given up on her, though he went to great lengths to keep it from her. He was barely speaking to Percy, Ron and Hermione, though he knew Percy felt a bit of guilt of his own every time he looked at her for suggesting that he '_let her go_.'

And Percy had to look at her often. Luna had been staying at the Burrow since her release from the hospital. But today,…today she had finally moved into her new house. It was a year late, but Luna was finally home.

George let Luna go and then reached over for a box that sat next to him on the blanket.

Luna smiled up at him. "You're finally going to let me see my surprise are you?"

"Yes." he leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "I am, now close your eyes."

Luna clapped her hands as she complied. There was the sound of rustling paper, then a slight sparkling sound.

"Okay." George kissed her softly. "You can open them now."

Luna opened her eyes, then a huge smile curved her lips.

"Oh George." She sighed as she took in the little yellow sunflower covered birthday cake, eighteen candles glowing on top. "It's just like my little one."

"I know." He smiled and looked deep into her silver eyes. He had made a lot of promises to Luna over the eight months while she was sleeping…this was only the first that he planned to keep.

"Happy Birthday Luna."

He was going to keep every single one of them.

* * *

-)0(-

* * *

Just want to make clear before I get any flames, that this story is not intended to be a commentary on euthanasia. I feel that each case, and each family is different and should be allowed to make that decision for themselves. Just for the sake of argument though, in this situation, ...I would have kicked Percy's ass, and I probably would have smacked the shit out of Hermione too...but, I am a female so I could have gotten away with it. :P

I tossed George's engagement to Katie in there because I felt I needed to show him giving something major up to show that he was making a true sacrifice to be there for Luna, not because I really think they are a viable pairing. Though I do think she would be better than Angelina. Of course, Bathilda Bagshot would be better than Angelina in my opinion. :P

Please review...please! I worked really, really hard on this!

-)0(-


	2. The Other Woman

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling

* * *

A/N So, this won't get out of my head. Someone dropped an intriguing idea on me to write a series of one shots covering George keeping his promises to Luna in the months after her waking…so…here I am. It hit me that they wouldn't just walk off into the sunset. While George had spent a year at her side, this would all be new to her, they would both have to deal with the consequences of what happened the day of Luna's accident, and the consequences of George's decisions after that. There is the whole issue too with George barely speaking to Percy, Ron and Hermione. The distance between him and his other brothers and both of them easing back into a normal life.

Each one shot will run in the exact same time frame, set on each occasion that the original was broken down into. So…here we go.

* * *

-)(-

* * *

The Other Woman

* * *

-)(-

* * *

George held Luna's hand tightly while they walked the Cobblestone street of Diagon Alley. It was harder for her here, the cobblestones made using her cane so much more difficult. George was used to walking slowly though, it was part of daily life with Luna. In the old days, he had walked with a brisk, hurried step…he'd had to, to keep up with the bundle of energy that was his twin brother Fred. Oliver Wood had been fond of referring to them as a pair of human bludgers, and George had to admit…that was a fairly astute observation.

But those were the old days, and George didn't mind at all that he had left them behind forever. It wasn't just his walking pace that he had adapted because of the woman at his side.

He had adapted his living pace as well.

Once he had rushed through life, he hadn't bothered to take the time to stop and look about him at the sights life had to offer. There had been so much that he had missed out on, so much that he had taken for granted…until that horrible day…a day that he would never forget.

A day that would live in his nightmares forever.

The scream…the silence…the blood.

Her blood.

"I hate it when you think about that." Luna stopped and tugged on his hand. George turned, looking down into her soft silver eyes. He didn't have to ask what she meant any more than she had to ask what he had been thinking about. There was only one thing that could make George Weasley look so dreadfully ashen.

"I know you do." He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "I'm sorry."

"It's been over a year George," Luna dropped his hand and began to walk again, the slow steady pace that had become so familiar. "You need to let it go."

George watched her for a minute, she still looked so frail. Her limp hadn't gotten any better, though she had regained a little more use of her arm. Her home therapist seemed hopeful that she might be able to regain full use of it if she worked hard. The dizzy spells and memory loss were as bad as ever, though the therapist was always quick to assure them they were normal after Luna's kind of injury.

He shook himself, then rushed to catch up. A year ago, Luna had been in a coma, today she was walking down Diagon Alley. He would take this over that any day.

"You're right." He picked up her hand and twined her fingers with his, then bent low to kiss her cheek. "I'm working on it."

"I know." Luna lifted his hand and placed a soft kiss on his fingers.

"Ah, here we are." George grinned and waved at Fred through the shop window. "Prepare to be tackled."

Luna giggled and steeled herself against the oncoming attack of Fred Weasley. She didn't have long to wait. The door was flung wide and Fred burst through, his grin wide and infectious. George wasn't the only twin she had become close to in the weeks since she had woke from her eight month sleep. He had been nightly visitor, joining his brother as soon as the shop closed every night. Even though it had been months, Luna had insisted she print a retraction for her fathers declarations in the Quibbler, but Fred and George had insisted on proving their innocence first. And so, when Luna had been able to sit up for more than a few minutes at a time, about a week after waking, Fred had brought a cauldron and showed her how they made their Puking Pastilles. She had had a great amount of fun, learning how to carefully trim the hairs off the edge of the doxy wings that contained the non-poisonous doxy venom that induced the vomiting. From there they had moved on to various pranks on numerous healers and healers assistants. By the time Luna was released, not one member of the staff was able to deny that they weren't slightly relieved to see her go…or at least, relieved to see her companions go with her.

"Luna, my lovely!" He swept her up into a tight hug and swung her around, kissing her loudly flat on the lips…George hated when he did that. "How are you?"

"I'll be better once I can breathe again." Luna giggled and hugged him tightly.

"Sorry." Fred laughed and let her go, his grin giving proof that he was anything but. "I've been anxiously awaiting your visit all day."

He turned away and ran up the stairs, then swept into a wide bow, opening he door as he went. It was the first time Luna had come by the shop since the accident, and both brothers had been excited by the prospect of showing her around. Of course, Luna had been there before the accident with Ginny, but she had just been their little sisters best friend then. And, never had she been given a guided tour.

George put a hand on Luna's back, unsure what to do. There was a fair climb to get into the shop, ten stairs, all narrow and slightly steep. His instinct was to pick her up and lift her in, but the last time he had tried to do that without Luna's consent she had yelled at him for ten minutes straight.

"Would you like help?" He asked softly

Luna bit her lip as she looked at the stairs. It seemed an insurmountable task, but she was too stubborn.

"No." She took a deep breath and smiled over her shoulder at him. "I think I can do it, but, stay close okay?"

George resisted his urge to pick her up again. Instead, he smiled down at her and leaned over her shoulder to kiss her cheek. "I'll be right behind you."

"And I'll be right in front." Fred assured from the top of the stairs. "If it's too much for you, say so, don't be stubborn."

Luna gave him a wide eyed look that was far too innocent to be taken seriously. "When have I ever been stubborn?"

Fred smirked at George who laughed loudly. "On a daily basis."

Luna rolled her eyes and giggled. "Could we get the show on the road? I'd like the tour your promised me before I am old enough to think the things you sell are naughty."

"By all means." George stepped up close behind her, his arm light on her back. The urge to pick her up came over him again, growing stronger and more fierce than before as her foot raised from the ground. She moved slowly, the strain showing on her face. Fred and George kept her sandwiched between them, George close on her back, Fred just in front of her with his hands out. She only wavered once on the second stair from the top, her shoulders falling back against George for a moment before his arms went around her.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly into her ear.

"I'm fine." Luna turned her head and smiled at him. "I just got a little dizzy, that's all."

"Let me lift you up the last stair."

"No."

"Luna," Fred looked down at her, his eyes crinkled in worry. "Maybe you should let him. It's only one stair, you did the rest yourself."

"I can do it myself; its only one stair, right?" Luna grinned at him cockily.

"Alright." George shook his head and leaned back slightly, leaving his arm tightly behind her.

With several more nervous steps, Luna was inside the shop. All three oblivious to the observer in the shop window across the street, an observer who had watched the whole thing.

"Could I have a chair please Fred." Luna leaned against the counter. "I think I need to rest a minute."

George picked her up in his arms, then carried her back into the backroom and sat her in the squashy desk chair at his desk.

"Oh, this is lovely." Luna smiled as she took in the brightly decorated room. The walls were painted magenta, with obnoxiously yellow flourishes here and there. Every corner was filled with some sort of mysterious object, obviously new merchandise in progress. "What are those?" She pointed to a pile of what looked like muggle noisemakers, but with long thin tubes coming out of them.

"Bubblegobbers." George picked one up and brought it over. "They're supposed to make bubbles when you twirl them that pop in your face and leave funny splotches, but we haven't gotten the color potions to work right."

"Oh," Luna nodded. "Like Wuffelbugs."

"Wufflebugs?"

"Yes," Luna nodded "They are like fireflies, except when they get too close to human skin, they get hot and explode and leave their multicolored guts all over you."

"Oh." George grinned. For someone with memory loss, Luna didn't seem to have any problem remembering her rare creatures. The night before over dinner she had treated him to a lengthy discussion on Pilfering Toebums…insects that burrow under your toenails and nibble on toe jam.

"Erm…George?" Fred appeared in the door. "Could you come here a moment?"

"Sure." George lay the Bubblegobber on his desk and kissed Luna on the forehead. "I'll be right back."

"Alright." Luna beamed up at him, then busied herself examining the Bubblegobber.

"You have a visitor." Fred whispered as George passed. He lifted his eyebrows and Fred just shook his head. George didn't much like the look on his face and as soon as he stepped into the front room, he realized why.

He hadn't seen Katie Bell since the day she had threw his engagement ring in his face the October before. The last he had heard she had moved to Godrics Hallow. He didn't like remembering the last time they had talked…things had ended so ugly between them.

* * *

-)(- Flashback -)(-

* * *

"_I don't believe this." Katie glared at him. "I just don't…I don't fucking believe this!"_

"_Katie," George crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "It's not as if you've given me any other choice."_

"_You have another choice, you're just being a,…a…urgh, I don't even know what the hell you're being." She threw her hands up in frustration. "Stupid…that's it, you're being stupid."_

"_Stupid or not, I've made my decision." He shrugged, determined he wouldn't let her see how much this was hurting him. She was the one who had backed him into a corner, who was trying to force him into walking away from where he knew he belonged. She didn't deserve to know that his choice was hurting him. _

"_So you've chosen her, to waste your life on a breathing corpse." _

_George closed his eyes and grit his teeth. He was determined that this would not get ugly, he would not lose his temper…no matter what she said. _

"_Yes."_

"_What a waste." Katie shook her head in exasperation. "A perfectly wonderful man wasted on someone who is as good as dead. Who is just going to die."_

"_Luna isn't going to die." He grit his teeth harder…this would not get ugly…he wouldn't do it. _

"_It's been four months. Face it George…she _is_ going to die, hell, she's dead already." Katie stood inches from him, her chin jutted into his face. "If you really cared about her, you would pull the tubes and let her go." _

_George was on the verge of hyperventilating, he bit down on his cheek, knowing she was saying it now just to hurt him…and then she said the thing that pushed his final button. _

"_I hope she does die…I hope she never wakes up."_

_Something in him snapped. He reached out and took her by the arms, his face glaring into hers with something close to hatred. "Get. The. Fuck. Out."_

_He let her go and stumbled backwards. "Get out and don't ever come near me again."_

_She pulled off the ring and threw it at him, then she turned and walked away.

* * *

_

-)(- End Flashback -)(-

* * *

She looked different than she had that night. Somehow she seemed older, more mature. She was like a stranger to him…irreconcilable in his mind with the woman he had once planned to marry. Then he realized what it was…there was a bitterness in her expression, and a horrible feeling came over him that she had come to fight.

"Katie"

She turned away from the display of Daydream charms she had been examining. A wry smile came to her face and she nodded at the charms.

"Ironic isn't it?" She smirked "You sell daydreams and yet you destroy dreams."

He glanced quickly at the door to the backroom, sending a silent prayer to the heavens that Luna wouldn't decide to come out until Katie was gone.

"This is neither the time nor the place for this Katie." He moved behind the counter on the other side of the room, hoping Luna wouldn't overhear. "Please don't."

"I know." Katie followed George's eyes to the door, then moved over to the counter. "She's here, I saw her tottering up the stairs like a feeble old woman on her cane. Don't worry, I wouldn't want to upset _the other woman_."

"Please Katie…" George plead "I don't know why you came…to put me in my place, to …make me feel like shit, fine, I feel like shit, Okay? Will you please just leave?"

"Good, you deserve to feel like shit." Katie glared "You deserve to know how I felt, being tossed over for Loony Lovegood the miraculous breathing corpse."

"Stop it." George felt the old anger rise up in him, anger that she didn't understand, not even after all this time, why he had had to do what he had. "YOU are the one who backed me into a corner, you are the one who made me chose between you and Luna…so don't you dare come in here now and act all indignant."

"We were going to be married, we had plans…and then you threw it all away to sit by the side of a woman who was as good as dead, the only guest at a George Weasley pity party!" She bang her fist on the counter, her eyes blazing with anger. "I have every right to be indignant!"

"You have NO right!" George forced himself to hold his temper. "If you had truly loved me…you would have understood. You never cared about how I felt, only that I didn't want to run to Majorca every weekend and that I didn't want to spend my every waking moment catering to you. "

"Catering to me." Katie laughed. "No, you spent every minute talking to someone who didn't even know you were there. And look at you now, you're still catering to her, acting as if she is the most precious thing in the world when we both know you would never have given her a second look if you hadn't nearly killed her."

"Get out." George held tight to the edge of the counter, his eyes closed, his teeth grinding tightly together. This was too close, too close to their argument the night Katie had thrown his ring at him. It was all coming back…and that wasn't good. "Get out now, or I will remove you myself."

Katie turned away, her hand on the doorknob. She stopped suddenly, her shoulders sagging. It was dead quiet for a full two minutes, George breathing heavily through his nose while he fought to keep himself under control and Katie staring at the door.

"Damn it." Her voice was soft and broken, far from the voice of the angry woman of moments before. "I swore when I saw you that I wouldn't do this."

"Then why did you?" George didn't look up, he stared at a spot on the counter, still trying to get himself under control.

"I'm sorry." Katie turned towards him, her eyes huge and sad. "I know you won't believe me, but…I am sorry."

George shrugged, still not looking up.

"I don't come to Diagon Alley often you know. I live in Godrics Hallow now, I've met someone, he's a squib and what muggles call a veterinarian. One night, he went out to do a difficult delivery, a breech birth of a little lamb. He was born too small and was sick so the owners wanted Alan to put him down. They said he wouldn't survive, but couldn't stand to see him suffer.

"Alan has never liked putting animals down, so he brought him back to his office. I…well, I got quite attached to him. I spent hours, feeding him and just sitting with him in my lap and stroking his soft head. I thought a lot about you while I took care of him."

She looked up and gave George a look that spoke volumes.

"After caring for that lamb…feeling that overwhelming need to be there for him every minute, how could I not understand, just a little, what it was like for you?

"Of course I can't begin to know, not really. Luna isn't an animal, she's a human being, and you felt so guilty for what happened to her. That guilt…it was so thick around you, I could feel it radiating off you in waves. I kept waiting for the moment it would devour you, I was so worried at times that you would end up in the hospital yourself…that you would breakdown. I didn't know how to help you…and I knew, if something bad happened, that you wouldn't be able to take it. It got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. Wanting to help, but knowing there was nothing I could do, nothing that would make it better, at least, nothing that was within my power. I had to go…and it wasn't because of you, it was because of me.

"George, I…" Katie turned towards the window, unable to look him in the eye. She was so ashamed of what she had to say…yet she had to say it. George wasn't the only one who was living with guilt. "I took the chicken shit way out."

He looked up at her, his face confused. She didn't turn from the window, she couldn't bear to meet his eyes.

"What do you mean the chicken way?"

"I knew that you would never chose me over her…that's why I gave you an ultimatum…because I didn't have the guts to just walk away."

George gripped the counter again, Katie's words making his head spin. She had done all that…put him through all of that…_because she was a coward_?

"Then why the hell did you come in here and start it all up again today?" George spat acerbically. "Why…why come and dredge all this shit up if you never meant any of it in the first place?"

"I never said it was easy for me to do it. Having to walk away from you last year…" She shook her head. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I loved you, you know I did."

"And today?"

Finally, she turned back and faced him.

"I saw you with her, you and Fred." She shrugged. "I saw Fred hug her the way he used to hug me, I saw you kiss her the way you used to kiss me, caring about her the way you used to care about me…I was jealous. Even though I've moved on, even though I love someone else, what happened last year still hurts."

George thought about Luna's words from before. How she had admonished him for dwelling on the accident. He didn't love Katie anymore… he too had moved on, but it still had the power to hurt him. Katie still had the power to hurt him, and knowing that she had used his feelings to take the cowards way out only made it worse.

"Then you need to let it go." He let go of the counter, stood straight and crossed his arms. She may have hurt him…but she didn't need to know it. They couldn't go back, he couldn't even see them being friends again. Sometimes, when things were said and done, too much was said and done…but that didn't mean they had to part ways with ugliness between them. "It's in the past, we've both moved on."

"You're right, I do." Katie nodded, then turned and walked towards the door. She stopped again, her hand on the knob, then turned back . "George, for what it's worth…I'm glad she woke up, and…I truly am sorry about the terrible things I said about her."

"For what it's worth…" George managed a small smile, even though it was far from what he was feeling. "I believe you."

Katie's mouth quirked up into a half grin, then she nodded and turned out the door. On the other side of the room, the door open and Fred peeked his head out, the opened the door wide.

He thumbed back towards the backroom. "You might want to…"

George nodded, regretting like all hell that he had never told Luna about Katie Bell. As loud as things had gotten out front…there was no way that she didn't know about it now. Luna sat quietly behind the desk, her green, purple and blue color splotched face mournful. He pulled the chair from Fred's desk to sit in front of her, thankful when she allowed him to take her hands in his.

"You got the Bubblegobbers working?" He reached up and wiped at a purple splotch on her cheek.

"No," She shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "Fred blew the potion out of the straw into my face. He thought it was quite funny until I poured it in his lap."

George looked over to see that Fred's pants were in fact, now a Technicolor mess.

"Serves him right." George looked sadly at his brother, his eyes asking for a moment alone.

"I'll be going upstairs to change now." Fred turned and let the door close behind him.

George took a deep breath and then turned back to her. "Luna…I'm sorry."

"For what?"

He shrugged. "Let's start with whatever you're the angriest about and work our way down."

"In that case." She pulled her hands from his and twined her fingers together in her lap "Why didn't you leave me and work things out with her?"

"Luna…we've had this discussion before, I couldn't leave you, you know that."

"You know George, you keep talking about all the things you took away from me. Well, how do you think I feel knowing that I took the most important thing in the world away from you? Considering how you are constantly beating yourself up over all I lost, you of all people should understand how that makes me feel."

He wanted to protest, but he couldn't. She had him dead to rights. He did understand how she felt, every bit of it. The pain and anguish of knowing that he taken things away from her that she couldn't have back…at times, it nearly choked him.

But this wasn't like that…he had _chosen _her, chosen to give Katie up…Luna hadn't had a choice.

"I understand." He took a deep breath and took her hands in his again. She resisted at first, but finally she gave in. "Luna, I chose you…and if you were eavesdropping properly, you know that she backed me in a corner on purpose so she wouldn't have to break things off."

"But she wouldn't have wanted to break things off if not for me."

"I made my own choices."

"Can you honestly say that if I hadn't been hurt, that you would have chosen me?"

"No, I can't." George shrugged. "But you were hurt, and I did choose you…"

"Because you felt guilty. Don't you see George, this is why I tried to make you leave in the beginning." Luna bit her lip in a futile attempt to stop the tears "The only reason you stayed with me was because you felt bad about startling me. We don't even know if that is why I fell, I could have snagged my foot on a branch, or my clothes could have pulled on a knot, or I could have just had a clumsy moment. I can't stand knowing that your life was ruined because you felt guilty!"

"Yes, in the beginning I may have stayed with you out of guilt, but by the time Katie made her ultimatum…it wasn't guilt that was making me stay. When I was trying to make my decision…I realized that I felt something, some sort of bond between us that I didn't understand until the day you tried to make me leave. You were my friend, and I _needed_ to be with you because it felt like it was where I belonged."

He dropped her hands and put his hand on her chin, lifting it so she had to look in his eyes. Her tears had run through the bubblegobber potion, blending it together into a multicolored mess that ran down to her chin. George pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, then wiped away as much as he could. "The day you woke, when you tried to make me leave, I realized that it wasn't guilt or responsibility that was bonding me to you…it was my heart."

"Are you ever sorry?" Luna sniffled, a look of abject misery in her liquid silver eyes. "That you chose me?"

"There were times, in the beginning, that I wished things could have been different."

"That's not what I asked George."

George took a deep breath and squeezed Luna's hands tightly. He had a lot of regrets where Katie Bell was concerned, but sorry…he couldn't say that he was. He would make the same choice over again a hundred times…he would always chose to stay by Luna's side.

"I'm sorry she was hurt by what happened, but I don't regret choosing you…" He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. "I have _never_ regretted choosing you."

Luna stared back at him...it would be easy to dismiss his words, to think that he was just saying them to make her feel better. But the look in his eyes was pure truth, raw emotion bared for her to see, and with this visible proof...she didn't dare doubt him.

"I believe you." She whispered, raising her hand to brush her fingers over his cheek.

"Good." He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her vanilla and brown sugar scented hair. "Because it's the truth."

"Are you two done fighting?" Fred's muffled voice came through the closed door. "Can I come in now?"

Luna laughed and pulled away, giving George a chaste kiss as she did. "Yes, were done fighting. You can come in."

The door popped open and Fred walked in, his hands full of blue and yellow balloons.

"Bloody hell George!" He grinned as he took in Luna's messy face. "What did you do to her? She looks like a clown gone atrociously wrong!"

Luna giggled while George dug in the drawer for a pot of Mrs. Einie's Everclean mess remover.

"I got mum's balloons all ready to take out to the Burrow." Fred tied them to the counter, and then leaned against the door while George put some Mrs. Einie's on a cloth for Luna to wipe the Bubblegobber potion off. "I don't know why she's insisting on them, Harry's nineteen this year."

George looked at Luna who was furiously wiping off her face, her attention directed at the mirror. "I know why."

"Yeah," Fred looked at Luna and smiled. "Guess I do too."

"All better." Luna turned with a beaming smile, her face clean and shining. "So, what about that tour?"

"Ready when you are miss." Fred grinned and offered his arm. Luna smiled and stood, George on one side, Fred on the other.

"But first, Beautiful" George grinned and separated four balloons from the bunch that Fred had tied to the end of the counter, then presented them to her with a flourish. "These, are for you."

"I love balloons." Luna smiled and lay her head on his shoulder.

"I know you do." George brushed his cheek against the top of her head, the scent of her shampoo strong in his nose…such a sweet scent.

"You spoil me."

George sighed and thought about all the promises he had left to keep. Then, he and Fred leaned down to kiss her cheeks.

Before he straightened, he whispered in her ear.

"Not nearly enough."

"If you two are done being all gushy." Fred tugged on Luna's arm. "You said something about a tour?"

"Right." Luna turned and smiled up at Fred. "Before I'm old and grey."

George grinned as he watched his brother lead Luna deeper into the shop.

If Luna thought she was being spoiled now, what was she going to think when he really got going?

He was only getting started.

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I won't be doing previews on this as the previews are already sort of given in the progress of the original. Please review!

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	3. The Tree

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling

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Please review...please, please, please! I feel so sad that this isn't getting much for reviews!

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The Tree

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Luna stared calmly at the scans, her face peaceful as always. Not for the first time George Weasley wondered if there was anything in the world that could phase Luna Lovegood. If anything could…this _should _have been it.

"I understand." She nodded slightly. "Will it be very painful?"

George cringed, how could she be so _damned _calm about it?

"I'm afraid it will be, at first." Healer Thomason nodded sadly. "Even after we heal the bone and joint, the tissue will be inflamed. It will take a week or so for the inflammation to calm."

"How long before she will be able to walk again?" George gripped Luna's hand tightly. The turmoil inside him was like a raging storm, once again…the guilt was screaming at him…

'_My fault…all my fault_.'

"The day after the procedure, she can start physical therapy again, she should be up and around in a matter of days."

"And the limp?"

The healer looked down at his desk; he had his own guilt to deal with. "I'm afraid the limp will never go away totally. But you will eventually be able to walk without the cane, and with time, it will be much less noticeable."

"So…" Luna smiled. "Monday then."

Healer Thomason looked at her, his eyes deeply apologetic. "I can't begin to say how very sorry I am. We…_I_…was nothing short of negligent. The day of your accident we ran a full scan, but in my concern over your head injury, I missed the injury to your hip."

"You're only human." Luna smiled. "Humans make mistakes."

George wanted to yell, to make threats and rage at the man. But the truth was, he was partly to blame. He had been in the healers face multiple times that day…every time he came out of the trauma room, yelling at him, demanding information, demanding to know when Luna would wake.

And so, he couldn't help agreeing with Luna.

"You of course have a right to take legal action."

"You're wasting your breath." George grinned a little. "That's not how she operates. In fact, she will probably be bringing you cookies on Monday to make you feel better."

Healer Thomason smiled sadly while Luna rolled her eyes. She considered arguing…then she realized, she really didn't have the grounds. George was exactly right…she probably _would_ bring cookies. In fact, she already knew what kind.

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"Luna," George banged on the bathroom door. "Are you okay in there?"

"Of course I am." He could almost see her rolling her eyes. "Go away George."

"Don't try to get out of the tub alone." He cautioned.

"George," Luna's voice sounded annoyed. "I'm not a child, stop talking to me like one."

He sighed and leaned back against the door. He knew she wasn't a child, knew it only too well. She certainly yelled at him enough to dispel any notions. He couldn't help this need of his to take care of her, to be there for her …even though he occasionally stepped over the line and did things for her rather than helping her do them on her own. Sometimes…it was a good thing that he hovered…like the night before, when she had gone to get out of the tub…and fell to the floor.

That was how they found out about her hip, the hip fracture that Healer Thomason had missed. Because it hadn't been set properly, while she slept the bones had healed wrong. Now, the bones needed to be re-broken and healed the right way.

Luna would be in pain…and it was all because of him.

Over the past couple weeks George had finally started to get past the guilt some. But hearing her fall, hearing her scream…seeing her frail and in pain on the bathroom floor had brought it all back with a vengeance. The sound of his voice as he yelled at her, her scream, the silence.

As she fell she split her lip on the side of the tub. A single tiny drop of blood had landed on the floor…but that wasn't what he'd seen...

He'd seen a blood splattered rock.

"George?" Luna called from the other side of the door. "I'm done."

He shook himself, then turned around and pushed the door open, a smile pasted on his face. Luna got angry with him when he thought about that day…he'd learned to be careful to hide it.

"I feel so much better." She smiled up at him from the bathtub where she sat combing through her hair, her nightgown already in place, her good humor restored. Luna never stayed angry with him long and that didn't go far in helping to ease his guilt. "There is nothing in the world better than a hot bath, is there?"

She bent over, preparing to have him help her stand. But George was frozen…his eyes unable to move away from the back of Luna's head. Her wet hair hung over her shoulders and had pulled apart in back, divided along the jagged line of the scar that ran from just above her neck, zigzagged slightly across the back of her head, to just below the crown. The scar in between was thick and white, an unnatural part that would last forever.

"George?" Luna twisted to look at him "George, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He tore his eyes away and forced his thoughts from his mind. He smiled at her and moved to stand in front of her. "So, do you feel better now; all clean?"

Luna looked at him with worried eyes. "George, is something wrong?"

"Of course not." He lied and bent over, then lifted her from the tub and set her on her feet. "I was just woolgathering."

"Woolgathering."

"If you must know," George rolled his eyes and handed her her cane. "It's my night to cook…and I'm feeling lazy. I was trying to think of some way to get out of it."

Luna looked at him skeptically, but the look…the haunted look was gone now. He smirked down at her, wearing the naughty look that was now so familiar. Suddenly, it wasn't so hard to imagine at all that he had been trying to get out of cooking.

"You cheat." She grinned.

"I know." He brushed past her, wiggling out of her way as she threatened him with her cane. "I'm bad aren't I?"

"Bad." She nodded. "Mmhmm."

"But Luna," He leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Bad is good."

"Go cook lazy butt." She grinned and followed him out into the kitchen. "I'm hungry."

"Your wish is my command." He gave her an exaggerated bow, then turned for the refrigerator and began pulling things out. Luna pulled her stack of books onto the table to study. This was one of her favorite times of the day…when it was almost like they were a family going about the average everyday business of living.

Technically, they weren't living together, though George had yet to spend a night elsewhere since she had moved into the house. There was no flack from his parents, they were well aware that he slept in the spare bedroom, and she in hers. They took turns with the chores like cooking and doing the dishes, George did all the heavy chores and she the light. He would have gladly done them all…if she would have allowed it. Often times, Fred would come over and they would spend a lovely evening together filled with laughter. Sometimes, he and George would make plans for the shop. Luna had forbid them from working on new merchandise in the house after she had gone through three sets of kitchen curtains in a week thanks to them. It was warm and homey and Luna couldn't have been happier…if not for the sadness and guilt she still picked up from George. He was careful to hide it, but not careful enough.

George stood by the sink, cleaning a stack of carrots…Luna was very fond of carrots. It was busy hand work, but not much for the mind. His eyes wandered as he washed, trying to get the image of Luna's scar out of his mind while he looked out the window, through the downpour of rain to the thing that he hated most in all the world.

The tree.

That _damned fucking _tree.

George had lost count of the times he had begged her to let him cut it down, fifty…a hundred…a thousand? It didn't matter; she always refused. She'd allowed him to remove the rock; it was gone long before she was out of the hospital. He'd removed it from the ground himself, and then obliterated it until it was nothing but dust. The temptation to keep going…to take the tree as well…had been overwhelming. To this day he wasn't sure what had stopped him.

Staring at it now, with memories assaulting him from every direction, he wished like all hell that he had removed it, even thought it was against her wishes. Luna's yelling at him had to be better than this…

_Anything_ would be better than this…this flood of horror every time he looked at the thing.

'_Luna Lovegood…you have some fucking explaining to do!'_

_A scream_

_Silence_

'_Luna are you…'_

_Blood…so much blood._

'_Expecto Patronum!'_

'_Sir...sir you'll have to move so we can treat her…'_

_Fog…voices…more fog…more voices._

_People in white robes, so many people running around…and not one of them saying anything. _

'_What's happening?'_

_Fog…fog…fog_

_My fault…_

'_George! George…what happened?'_

_My fault…. _

'_She'll be okay George, Luna's tough.'_

'_Fog…fog…coma…fog…fog…'_

"_When will she wake….'_

…_all my fault_

'_There's no way to know…'_

'_But if…when…'_

'…_no way to know if she will ever be the same…'_

'_It's not your fault George.'_

'…_no way to know…'_

_My fault..._

'…_no way to know…'_

…_all my fault._

'_I'm sorry…'_

'_Good God…'_

'_Wake up Luna…please…please wake up.'_

'_may never be the same again'_

'…_what have I done…'_

The carrot snapped between George's tightly clenched fists and he dropped it in the sink. He slapped the handle on the faucet down to shut off the water, his eyes still fixed on the tree.

That _damned fucking _tree.

Its limbs waved in the gentle wind, its leaves dripping, barely phased by the downpour.

How dare it still be standing while she was still so broken!

A hundred years from now, the tree would _still_ be standing. It would stand for decades, maybe even centuries, always knowing what it had done to Luna Lovegood…always reminding him of what he had done…even after he was no longer here to remind.

Unless he did something about it.

George turned from the sink, his vision down to a narrow tunnel that lead him to the door. He picked up his wand as he passed the table, and then wrenched the door open…ignoring Luna's voice as she called out to him.

"George!"

He was on a mission and nothing…no one was going to stop him…not even her. He walked swiftly, knowing she was coming, wanting to make sure he had done enough damage so it couldn't be saved once she was able to stop him.

"_Reducto!"_

A limb splintered

"George!"

"_Reducto!"_

And another

"What are you doing?"

"_Reducto!"_

And yet another

"George! Stop!"

"_Reducto!"_

"_Reducto!"_

"_Reducto!"_

She screamed

Luna screamed and the sound shot through him as if someone had plunged a sword into his head; it didn't stop until the point touched the ground. On the way through, the blade pierced his heart, his lungs and somehow…his soul.

He turned to find her on the ground several yards behind him. Sanity returned in a mad rush and his guilt…the guilt that had drove him to a fit of momentary madness... tripled.

Luna had fallen…and it was because of him.

_My fault…all my fault. _

"Luna…" He ran to her side, and then knelt down.

She looked up at him and the face she wore was like none he had ever seen before; it was the face that he had expected to see in the hospital room the day she woke. Her eyes were narrowed and angry, her lips thin and tight. She looked very much like she hated him…like she hated him very, very much.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She growled, her voice low and acerbic. "Just what the _bloody fuck _did you think you were doing?"

He recoiled from her, falling back on his hands and behind in the wet grass.

"You bastard! How dare you!" She dug her hand deep into the grass, coming up with a mound of grass and mud, and then threw it at him as hard as she could, hitting him in the face.

"How fucking dare you!"

"I'm sorry." He said lamely, reaching a hand out to touch her. She jerked away and scooted backwards on the ground.

"Don't touch me." Her lip trembled. The anger was edging away and the tears were blending with the rain on her face. "Don't you know what you've done?"

She pulled her legs up under her, her arms crossed over her knees, and then she buried her face against them…her body shaking while she sobbed. George moved closer and put his hand on her shoulder…relieved when she didn't shake it off.

"Tell me…please?"

"You don't understand…" Her voice was muffled and George scooted closer, lifting her face so she had to look at him. It broke his heart, seeing her like this. Luna had been so strong…since the moment she had woken; she had been the strong one, the one with all the courage and strength while he was the one who was always falling apart.

"Please Luna, tell me."

"As long as I could face the tree, knowing what had happened there…I knew I could face everything else! My fear that I would never get my arm back, that I would never walk normally again or be able to remember things…I was able to face my guilt."

"Guilt?" George was taken aback…what could Luna possibly have to feel guilty for? "Guilt for what?"

"Because you're in so much pain, and it's all because of me!"

He didn't know what to say. George had never once considered how his guilt was affecting her, that she might be suffering because of it. Now that she had said the words, he couldn't help but see it. Luna was an extraordinarily selfless person, kind and giving to a fault. Knowing that she was the reason someone else was suffering, even if it wasn't her fault, would tear her up inside.

"I'm sorry," He leaned closer and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry…I never realized…I never even considered how it was effecting you."

"I can't stand it anymore George. It's bed enough that I am so afraid about everything else; being afraid that you will never get past this…it's too much on top of everything else."

He buried his face in her dripping hair, the rain still pounding down around them. They were both soaked and muddy, but the true discomfort came from within…from the uncertainty of feelings neither could control. How do you recover from something so horrible? How do you go on when the scars run so very, very deep?

"I can't help how I feel. Every day we're together I care about you more and more, and the more I care about you, the more horrible it makes me feel. I see that tree and it all comes back, every horrible memory. I see you in that bed again, with all those bandages and tubes and machines…not knowing if you will ever wake and knowing that it's my fault."

And then he realized…the truth that he had known for weeks, but had somehow not found words…not until now.

"I love you Luna, I love you so much…and knowing that I hurt you…it's unbearable."

Luna pulled back. "Do you mean it? Do you really love me?"

"Of course I do, I would never lie to you."

"Then let it go." Her face crumpled and she cupped his face in her trembling hands. "Please George, please, please let it go… I can't stand to watch you like this anymore because I love you, and it hurts me more and more everyday too."

His face broke as the pool in his eyes broke free, they washed away in the rain, but Luna knew they were there, mixing with her own when he pulled her lips to his. Their kisses before had been innocent, a mere brush of flesh against flesh, a friend to a friend. Now, there was heat, and passion and about a thousand other things.

George picked her up and carried her inside. Their hands were nervous and unsure as they shared their first intimate moments. Fingers brushed gently over cool rain dampened skin, sopping wet clothing was pulled away. He was afraid that he would hurt her; she calmed his fears. She worried over her inexperience; he reassured with his words…he was little more experienced than she was…he had only been with one other before.

Their lovemaking was slow and unhurried, tender, soothing touches…a joining of hearts, souls and minds…George and Luna were kindred spirits. Under other circumstances they might never have come together, yet it felt as though something had been pulling them to this moment their entire lives. Fate…destiny…perhaps an unknown prophecy sat dusty in the Hall of Mysteries with their names on it; it didn't matter why…all that mattered… was that it was.

After, they lay spooned together, both pondering this turn of events. Luna was glowing, yet somewhat bemused. From overheard discussions in the loo, she had always understood men to be a bit selfish…only caring about their own completion…yet George had made sure that she completed before him. It was all so new to her, just the idea that _George Weasley_ had just made love to her was difficult to grasp, but that he loved her…_honestly and truly _loved her…it was nearly beyond the realm of understanding. It wasn't that she thought he was better than her, but they came from different worlds. He was the wildly popular one…she the outcast; Luna had been sure she would be in University before she found a man who could truly appreciate her brilliance.

She was quite pleased to find that she'd been wrong.

George lay behind her, his eyes on the scar at the back of her head. He had never been this close to it before and now he could see everything. The slight ridge, the line in the middle where the skin had been broken apart, even some tiny scars where they had removed bits of rock. The guilt welled up within him again. Knowing that his feelings hurt her; he wished more than anything that he could make it go away…but he couldn't. Perhaps though, instead of pushing it away when it came, it was time he face it…just as he was facing the scar.

He bent his head to her neck, to the place where the scar began. He kissed every inch of it, from the base of her head…up the zigzagging path… to the crown, and then he pulled her closer and whispered into her ear.

"I love you."

Luna smiled as her eyes flooded with tears. George had never touched her scar before, had never as much as looked at it up close. She wasn't naïve; she knew his guilt wasn't gone just because they had made love. It would be a process, a gradual chipping at layers. His facing the scar was a step though…the first step, a big step. His guilt may never be gone completely…but eventually, it _would_ become something he could live with…

Something they could both live with.

"I love you too."

She shifted; turning so she could lie facing him.

"That's why I decided to forgive you for killing my tree."

He grinned, "You won't hit me with mud again, promise?"

"I sort of owe you." She grinned at him sheepishly. "Since I faked falling down to get your attention."

"You…" He pulled back, a slight anger rising within him. "Falling, the scream…it was all fake?"

"Yes, the fall, the scream, everything"

The anger was squashed quickly when he saw the sparkle in her eyes. It was a lowdown, dirty trick….but one Forge Weasley couldn't help appreciating. He grinned, and then, the grin turned into a laugh.

"You're good."

"I know." She smirked. "Maybe even better than the infamous Gred and Forge."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Matter of opinion." She shrugged, and then her face turned serious. "George, I've decided to let you finish taking down the tree."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes," She nodded, and then nuzzled deeper against him. "I've been a bit selfish. It's hurting you, making your feelings of guilt and pain worse. The truth is, every time I look at it, I feel sick…and using that to make everything else feel better…it's the cowards way."

She pulled back and smiled, her eyes sad and her lips trembling.

"Daddy didn't raise me to be a coward."

"Thank you."

He kissed her, long and sweet, with every bit of his love, and then, he made another promise.

"When spring comes, we'll plant a garden in its place."

Luna smiled…she loved flowers, much more than trees

"That would be lovely."

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George woke and rolled over; brushing his hand over Luna's pillow…it was empty. He sat up, unzipped the side of the sleeping bag, and then rolled off the feather mattress that they had lay over the futon. It had been Luna's idea…camping like muggles. Had it been up to him, he would have borrowed the charmed tent that Bill and Fleur had bought for when they went to the beach. Theirs had real beds...comfortable beds, a kitchen, a real bathtub with a shower... and a hot tub. He could imagine him and Luna getting quite cozy in a hot tub.

But then, it was just like Luna. She loved the simple things, the little things that others took for granted. Flowers, and birds and rainstorms.

Luna had become particularly fond of rain over the past few weeks.

He slipped into a pair of boxers and jeans, and then went to the flap of the tent and pulled it open. He found her right away, standing by the edge of the water with her feet submerged up to her calves. Her hair was in a loose French braid, the end past her shoulder blades. It still had a ways to go before it would be back to the length it was before the accident, Luna was thinking maybe by the spring…in time to plant the garden where the tree had once stood.

She wore baby blue capri's and a matching thin strapped summer top that buttoned down the front and showed off her trim stomach. George had been uncomfortable with the ensemble the first time she wore it…you could see the scar from the feeding tube…but over the three weeks since the night of the incident with the tree, he was learning to face things head on. Besides, facing the small scar on her stomach was a piece of cake compared to how facing the not so small scar on the back of her head had been.

"Good morning!" Luna called out when she saw him standing in front of the tent, her voice faint over the crashing waves.

"Morning." He smiled as he approached, and then put his arms around her from behind. "You snuck out on me."

"Sorry." She leaned back for a kiss, and then sighed as he nuzzled her neck. "I wanted to watch the sunrise, but you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to disturb you."

George looked towards the beach where a large mesh bag lay; she had gathered a fair pile of seashells.

"You've been busy."

"I was thinking if we collect enough, they would make a nice border around the garden."

"I think that is a lovely idea."

"Is this the beach where you found the conch shell you gave me?"

George shifted nervously. "No, I found that in Majorca."

"Oh, I see." Luna nodded, understanding parting the fog. This wasn't a particularly pleasant sort of understanding. "You were with Katie when you found my shell; weren't you?"

George hated it when Katie came up. Despite his assurances, Luna still felt terrible about it. She thought she had robbed him of something, while more and more he had been starting to wonder if perhaps she hadn't saved him from something instead. Looking at how Katie had reacted to his crisis with Luna, he wondered how she would have handled problems in their married life. What if he had become sick…or if the shop went out of business and he didn't have the money to care for her the way she seemed to like…the expensive way she liked…would she have run out on him? He was fairly sure now she would have.

"Luna…"

"Please George, just answer me. And don't lie; you know I'll know if you do."

"Yes, I was. But…"

"She must not have liked it much, your bringing back things for me."

"Luna, stop it." He took her arms in his, careful to be gentle, yet demanding she look into his eyes. "Your feeling guilty about Katie is no better than my feeling guilty about your getting hurt. It makes me feel like shit when you do it. I'm a big boy Luna; I made my own choices, so stop it…please, just let it go."

"But…" She bit her lip to stop it shaking, trying desperately to stop herself from crying. "Your bringing me here, doing what you did with her…it makes me feel like you are trying to have that life back."

George looked at her for a moment…and then, he started to laugh. He laughed until he had to pull away from her, until he had to double over, his hands on his knees, until he had tears on his face. He laughed until Luna's hands were clenched into fists, until she was red in the face and closing in on being pissed off.

"Just what in the hell is so damned funny?"

"You." He smirked, standing upright and nearly laughing at the angry look on her face. "You have no idea what you're saying Luna Lovegood. It …it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life!

"If I were trying to relive my life with Katie…we wouldn't be camping in a muggle tent on a beach in Ibiza. We would be in Majorca, at an expensive resort where you were spending half the day sleeping and the other half getting massaged and your nails and hair done. You would be spending all afternoon by the pool, leaving me to walk on the beach alone.

"We would be spending every night fighting because all I could think about was where I really wanted to be… back in London watching the most beautiful woman in the world sleep and praying that she would wake. And you would only find out about the shell because you happened to see me packing it."

When he stopped, Luna had tears running down her face. "But…why bring me here at all then if it was so terrible? Surely it must remind you of that."

"Because," He wiped the tears away with his thumbs, then brushed his lips across hers. "When you were sleeping last August, all I was able to give you was a conch shell. It was all that I _could_ give you. Now that you're awake, I want to give you more.

"I want to give you the ocean."

And then she understood. So many things that hadn't made sense before, things that had seemed like a coincidence…like why her birthday cake had looked exactly like her tiny plastic cake, why he had given her balloons on Harry's birthday. He was keeping promises; promises he had made to her while she slept.

"Oh George." She wept as she pulled him to her and buried her face against him. She had no idea what she had done to deserve him…all she had done was fallen out of a tree and slept for eight months. "You amazing, wondrous…dear, dear man. I know what you're doing and I love you…I love you so, so much for it."

"You deserve it." He spoke softly into her ear. "I can't give you back what you lost because of me, but I can make the days you have more special."

"You do, just by being here."

"You know." George grinned and pulled back. "We are getting dangerously close to overdosing on schmaltz."

Luna laughed and took his hand, then turned to continue down the beach. She needed a lot more shells of she was going to line her garden in them…she wanted a really big one.

"So, the next thing you gave me was a quill." She turned to him considering. "For the start of the term at Hogwarts."

George nodded. "Yes. "

"You haven't arranged to enroll me have you?"

He sighed regretfully. He _had_ tried, but failed. "If only I could."

"It's okay. It would have been a bit hard for me to manage the stairs, even if I am managing without the cane now." She smiled. "And the memory loss and dizzy spells would make it difficult."

She stopped suddenly, turning to face him. "You haven't gotten me a stuffed Eagle have you?"

George grinned. "I would never kill an animal for the purposes of atonement, shame on you."

"Well, just so you know…a live one is out of the question." She grinned "Though I suppose we could put it up in the spare bedroom."

"Hardly." George laughed "Mum and dad still think I'm sleeping in there. They might get suspicious if they come in and see eagle shit all over the place."

Luna grinned and then bent down to pick up a handful of shells. "They never got suspicious when they saw your shit all over the place."

George laughed and pulled on the end of her braid. "Not exactly the same kind of shit I am talking about."

"I know." Luna straightened with a giggle

"You'll just have to wait and be patient."

"If I must." She reached down for his hand, the bag of shells swinging at her side. "Though it does seem a bit unfair, making me wait so long now that I know a surprise is coming."

George put an arm around her waist, and then pulled her around to face him. Their lips met and he felt a rush of warmth.

"I can think of a few good ways to pass the time."

Luna grinned up at him and put an arm around his neck. "What about my shells?"

"We have all week." George sighed and pulled the bag from her hand and dropped them in the sand before lifting her up into his arms to carry her back to the tent.

"The shells can wait."

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